


at the end of the world (you're the last thing i see)

by theriveroflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Immortality, Tikki & Plagg Use They/Them Pronouns, Unsympathetic Kwamis, fairytales - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: REPOST WITH EDITS.Marinette goes to the tower for her own sense of justice. She comes away with someone who will become her lover.And then everything goes wrong.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Plagg & Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	at the end of the world (you're the last thing i see)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration taken from Oz and Salem's relationship, from RWBY. You can see their story there, but if you're interested in RWBY you probably shouldn't read this because it spoils a lot of backstory, though I did play around and switch who was who during the fic.
> 
> The edits come from new information revealed in an official book (Fairy Tales of Remnant) that describes "Girl in the Tower" (which is a direct reference to Salem) as "metafiction," so it was written by Salem herself, which changes the beginning of the story. I also did some edits on the rest of the story.
> 
> Title modified from MCR's "The Ghost of You".
> 
> Warnings: violence, major character death, suicide, Tikki and Plagg are assholes

_Do you know the tale of the boy in the tower?_

Marinette knew of the pages scattered like wind through the fractured land. The copies, spread by word of mouth. The rumors that the tale was real, written by the titular boy — because it fit too closely to the reality of the Agreste Kingdom’s heir.

She also knew that not a single person who had gone to the tower had managed to free him. And that the only one who came out alive was Kagami of the Tsurugi House — a house of warriors. She had not even gotten the prisoner out.

Marinette came from no prestige or riches. But she could battle. She taught herself a long time ago, both to protect her family and to defend herself. After all, Marinette was born without the blessing of the Gods, making her the least powerful of all. But it forced her to think in ways that magic users would never.

Freedom, to Marinette, was never something to be denied.

But she dared not go. One could have called her a coward, but her sense of justice was not strong enough to try where so many others had died, on just a few whispers. Whispers that she did not know the truth of.

And then she found his words, and read them.

He knew how to write effectively. It was clear to her that the fairytale was _his_ story, exaggerated slightly but still ringing true — and not a single “I” used.

It told of a distant father, not cruel in his perspective — but from most readers he would be. Of a mother that the prisoner clung to the memory of. Of a deep, hopeless loneliness buried within.

She knew it was likely a slight manipulation of the truth, and that not everything in the text was true. But perhaps…

Why would he write the story?

Adrien — she knew his name now — sought _company,_ she thought. Adrien had all the comforts he could ask for in the tower, but the closest person he had to a friend was a princess of another kingdom, whisked away to marry someone in a gain for political power. He did not seem as though he wanted to be _rescued,_ out of the tower, but he wanted company, which requires a similar amount of effort.

Well, if Marinette chose to free him, he could make all the friends that he wanted to.

So she travelled to the tower. There were a lot of guards, prepared to fight her. And she fought her way through, using them to take each other out.

The stairwells were relatively clear of guards, until she reached the top, where there were two outside the chamber belonging to the prince himself.

The first guard merely bowed their head and descended down the staircase.

The second looked at them strangely and attacked her.

Marinette dodged the beams of power shooting at her. She swung her sword, she raised her shield - she fitted them together and pressed the mechanics that made it turn into a metal staff, perfect for bludgeoning.

A single swing of the staff knocked her adversary to the ground. She pushed a button and they separated into sword and shield again. Marinette stepped over their chest and held the sword to their throat.

“I do not wish to kill you.”

“I do not wish to die,” they replied. “You may progress.”

Marinette opened the door, and scanned the room. Adrien was sitting, slumped at a desk with a mirror above. He didn’t seem asleep. And what reason did he have to be at a desk?

She stepped towards him.

“Someone made it.” It sounds like a _finally,_ an exhale. Adrien turned towards her. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Marinette,” she answered.

“I want to be free,” Adrien said. “Are you here to give me that?”

“Are you aware of what your father has done, Adrien? Are you aware of the cruelty he treats you with?” she asks softly. “I hope you are nothing like him. I hope that in freeing you I am not making a mistake.”

“I am not defenseless against the creatures.” A ball of fire kindled in Adrien’s palm. “And I do not wish to be like him”

Is she the only one who wasn’t blessed with these powers? Did the Gods somehow manage to skip over her? And why?

“Let’s go,” she growled, refusing to think about it any longer. She had already spent enough time when the abilities never awakened in her like they did in everyone else. “I do not wish to prevaricate here any longer, lest your father find us.”

The staircases were quieter without the clanging of her own thoughts and the sound of chatter. But it was also _louder_ with the sound of Adrien’s breath next to her, with the clanking of two sets of feet on the stairs.

“Thank you,” Adrien said, when they were far enough from the tower to catch their breath. “I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“I know how. You can run away from here, and never return. I do not want you to return to your father. I do not want to marry you. I am not looking for love. I just want justice for you, and by freeing you I achieve that.”

“Marinette-”

“I may have found my way up the tower, but I sought to free you because your words...they were compelling. They told of someone that I did want to help, because _freedom is a right._ I do not want you to be tethered again. I do not want to be the one preventing you from finding yourself, from learning who you are with other people. You can make all the friends you want, now. You’re free to travel, free to go wherever you want. So, go. Live your life how you wanted to once someone helped you get out.”

“I will. And when I’ve lived enough, I will find you again.”

Marinette just walked away. She didn’t want to see Adrien again, not even if they were the last two people to walk the planet.

* * *

Their paths crossed again.

She had hoped that they would never, but she should have known better.

Marinette continued to fight the monsters after leaving Adrien. She continued to fight against the creatures of destruction, but sometimes the worst creatures of destruction were people themselves. She supposed that what separated them was that the creatures could _only_ destroy, and they could do many things.

She could not fight magic.

Marinette was still powerless. She knew how to fight it, but in the end if she was to fight another human she would forever fight the disadvantage of not having the same powers as everyone else did. It was a closely guarded secret, but some people questioned why she didn’t use any magic in her battles against the creatures.

She always shrugged and told them that she didn’t need magic to seek victory, and perhaps humanity as a whole was far too reliant on it. And they always nodded as though she had a point, which perhaps she did.

(But she was the _only_ one, the only one without these powers. Alone.)

She stood with kingdoms against tribes of rogues, but she was forever a wanderer herself. 

And when she was weaponless, with nothing but her armor and her fists, magic would take her down.

A blast of lightning. She managed to push away the person atop her, on the verge of killing her - grab her sword, at least, and put an end to the fight with a clean swing that took her assailant’s head off. Blood scattered in the air, and then-

“You’ve developed quite the reputation.”

And this time, she was the one turning to see him.

“I kept hearing your name. A defender of justice, of stability. An ally to _all_ kingdoms, an eternal wanderer. They varied, but they all told stories of a female warrior that fought with just a sword and shield, without powers.” Adrien looked _different_ from the first time she met him, looked more jaded than before. “I knew the sword and shield, and when I asked her appearance I was given someone that resembled you.”

She bristled. “I certainly hope that you didn’t purposefully seek me out.” She didn’t want to think about Adrien looking for her on purpose, looking for the person that freed him.

“And what if I did?”

“I don’t want you to feel _obligated_ to be with me, Adrien. Never. I don’t want to force anything on you. I never did.”

“I won’t run again. I’ve lived a life. I’ve learned what it’s like to be outside the tower of nightmares, or whatever. I’ve learned to fight for myself. But I needed to return the favor.”

“You saved my life just now.” Marinette stepped closer to him. “You’ve already repaid me by going free. And if you had anything else to pay back you did when you saved my life with that lightning bolt. If anything, I owe you for that.”

Adrien stepped up closer to her in return. “Then you can answer two questions for me. Just two.”

“And then you’ll leave?” She hoped that he would-

“I didn’t say that.”

“Stop being so stubborn. It’s for the best that you _leave_ me.”

“Are you even _capable_ of using magic?”

She stiffened, frozen in place. “No. I never have been. I don’t know why.”

“Second question. Why do you keep wanting me to leave?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” Marinette said. “I did it because I wanted you to have better than your father. I already said it when we first met — I don’t want you to be tethered to someone else, least of all me.”

He took her hands in his own. “I _want_ to be tethered to you, Marinette. Choosing it makes a difference, right? And I have always been capable of making my own choices. That’s _why_ I wrote my tale. And that’s _how_ you knew to come for me.”

She ripped her hands out of his grasp and stepped back. “That’s one too many questions. You said two. That’s all you get.”

“I won’t leave you.” Adrien didn’t step closer. “That is my choice.”

“Then I will.” And it would be hers.

Marinette took off, and something intangible _ripped._

* * *

Their paths kept intersecting after that. They traded off saving each other. Sometimes she would save him from the creatures of destruction, and sometimes he would come in with a helpful magic blast when she was fighting other people.

They fell into a steady partnership, eventually.

Marinette didn’t want him to stay, but she knew that he wouldn’t leave her again. And eventually she grew to like him.

She certainly appreciated not dying. And Adrien helped her not die. So maybe they could be partners.

She said that to him, and he told her that it was them against the world.

They shouldn’t have had to be against the world. Marinette preferred to fight alongside the world.

* * *

“Marinette, I have a confession to make,” Adrien said as they sat around a fire, camping for the night.

“What is it?” She was slightly wary of what exactly that entailed for their relationship - after all, she just wanted things to be comfortable. And the way they were was comfortable. Partners.

“I love you.”

“You shouldn’t,” she softly answered, words barely audible over the crackle of the fire. “I tell you not to attach yourself to me, and what do you do? Fall in love.” She sighed.

“You told me that because you were the first person, but you aren’t the only person anymore that’s shown me kindness besides my father. So I think I’m in my rights to fall in love with you.”

He was right. But she was still afraid.

“It…won’t end well.”

He scooted closer to her. “If it doesn’t, then we’d at least have the chance to be together.”

She wasn’t even sure if she loved him.

“We can try.” She leaned against him. “I’m uncertain about my feelings, but give me some time to figure it out, okay?”

“Yeah. We can give it a try.” He leaned back, and they supported each other.

* * *

And so they did.

Marinette found herself falling fast and hard for him once she gave herself the chance to feel that way, and she wondered what exactly that said about her if she was falling so easily.

But she didn’t have much time to wonder, as they didn’t get much time together.

They may have protected each other, but she couldn’t protect Adrien from sickness. Marinette may have been born without magic, but she had never felt truly powerless until she saw Adrien, fading away in front of her.

“Marinette,” he proclaimed, “I love you.”

She let out another sob. “This can’t be it, Adrien. We can’t--”

It couldn’t be the end of the story. Not yet. Not now. There was still so much left for them to do.

She hired healers, each one managing to heal a little, but the illness was constant, and any healing was just a reprieve. Marinette still hoped to find one that could give them enough of a reprieve to possibly manage to say goodbye. 

But it was still only dragging out the inevitable, and Marinette disliked getting into the habit of deluding herself.

After all, lying to one’s self never ended well.

But it was never going to end well, was it?

* * *

“I love you,” she said to him. They made sure to say it each day, because it might be their last. She stayed by his side, barely leaving except for the bare necessities, and _bare_ was it. Barely enough food and water, because she didn’t want to leave to use the bathroom often. She wanted to stay by his side as much as she could.

“I-I love-- y--”

He collapsed onto the bed, and she felt his pulse fade from under her fingers.

Her beloved was dead, taken too soon from a sickness that could not be prevented.

But there were people that she _could_ appeal to to bring him back.

The Gods.

Creation and Destruction.

Little was known about them, but they had made humanity. And thus they controlled the cycle of life and death.

And who better to remake a human than the God of Creation?

* * *

She deposited an offering at the steps of the pool. Marinette had never been here before, but it felt like she was _meant_ to do this.

“Hello.”

The voice was distinctly high. She looked to see a…not person, precisely. A silhouette, perhaps, red and glowing with a pair of antennae affixed upon the deity’s head.

She knelt. “I have lost the love of my life. His name is Adrien Agreste. I believe that he was ripped from life too soon, and seek you so that he may be brought back to the land of the living. I miss him. His friends miss him. We are all feeling a void in our lives that was unfairly placed.”

“I do not blame you for your grief,” the deity said, walking over to her. “But I am afraid that I cannot grant your request. Life and death are an eternal cycle. To violate that would be to upset the balance between myself and my counterpart.”

“It’s not fair.” It wasn’t. And Marinette had always been a fighter for justice. She feels almost blinded by her tears, barely able to look up and face the shimmer of the red deity.

“I cannot speak to fairness. I also cannot revive your love. I remember what it is like to lose love, but there is nothing that I can help you with, dear.”

“Then why are you a god?” Marinette yelled. “This is the only way I have power - to ask it from other people. If I had any kind of magic at all I would use it, even if all I got was an empty shell.”

“You were born without magic?”

“I…” She didn’t want to admit it. “I must depart. Thank you.”

“I can give you magic,” the deity offered. “It is what should be.”

“I cannot accept.” Maybe she didn’t deserve magic. Maybe she was defective, not meant to survive this long.

She stepped down the staircase. Though she doubted that the God of Destruction could help her, she could at least learn more about the pair.

* * *

The staircase to the God of Destruction lead downwards in a spiral. She remembered that the God of Destruction was the one who created and regenerated the creatures. She actively fought those creatures. What would he think of her?

“Which mortal dares to show up in my domain?”

The God of Destruction looked very similar to his counterpart above. The only difference was in color and trait - the God of Destruction looked like a void given human form, a pair of cat ears atop his head.

“My name is Marinette,” she confessed. Start with something simple, and she would work up to the larger things.

The god frowned. “Are you the little knight that picks off my creatures?”

So her reputation had reached the ears of the god themself. “I am, but I am not here for that.”

“Are you here because I stole your gift?”

She blinked. _Stole?_ “What? No. I don’t need magic. And I don’t want it if it comes from you.”

“Kid, you aren’t appealing to me. I might just sic a pack on you if you don’t tell me what you want.” She wasn’t prepared to fight. She didn’t come to fight.

“I’m here because I lost the love of my life, and I want him to be brought back. Adrien and I didn’t fall in love at first sight. It took a while. And I regret that I pushed him away at first, because we were ripped apart by sickness.”

“I don’t know what you expect, kid. What made you come here instead of Sugarcube? Wouldn’t it make more sense to go to creation for life?”

She smiled in a twisted kind of way. “I know that _both_ of you were involved in the creation of humanity. So don’t give me that.”

“For your consideration…” The god snaps, and Adrien is in her arms.

All of a sudden, a _booming_ noise came from above them. An...eldritch ladybug came crashing into the ceiling, and Adrien faded out of existence again.

“I’m sorry, Adrien,” she softly cried.

“Plagg, you should know better than this,” the ladybug proclaimed. “We agreed upon the terms.”

“I didn’t! And no one else did, either!” Marinette screamed. “Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants their loved ones to die.”

“Tikki, she came to _me._ And she actively destroys my creatures. There must have been a reason.”

“Because _I_ wouldn’t do it. That’s why, Plagg. You weren’t her first choice.” Tikki looms in eldritch-ladybug form. “I’m sorry.”

“I have always fought for _justice.”_ Marinette stood up to face the two gods. “And this is not that.”

“Who are you to determine just and unjust?” Plagg turned into their alternate form - a cat eldritch being.

Tikki did something, and she was suddenly falling. She turned to see the water beneath her, and she couldn’t even catch herself, she had nothing that she could catch herself with.

Landing didn’t hurt. Or well, it didn’t kill her. It hurt in a different way, not how falling should have hurt her. She wasn’t supposed to survive.

“What happened?” she asked. “What…?”

The two gods stood in front of her. “The pool makes you immortal. Until you understand the value of life and death, you shall walk the earth.”

Marinette couldn’t do anything, couldn’t even stand up.

The God of Destruction held power within their claws. “You will be alone, as well. There will be no one else. Humanity may eventually return, but they will be only remnants of their former selves. And we will be gone as well.”

The power exploded, and Marinette was left alone.

* * *

The wave had killed everything.

Well, not everything, but the land was ravaged - and there were no other humans left. Was she even really human now that she was supposedly immortal?

She could test that.

And if it was just a bluff, and she really died, then she wouldn’t be alone. Even if there wasn’t an afterlife, she would be relieved of this burden of life — not alone anymore, just nothing.

(Wasn’t it supposed to be the _importance_ of life?)

(This just made her want to throw it away.)

She took off her armor and readied her sword.

A deep breath, and she _stabbed_ the sword into her gut.

It _hurt._ The pain was practically blinding. She removed the sword so that she would bleed more. She was still bleeding, the blood still crimson red on her blade. 

But she didn’t die.

She didn’t die.

* * *

There were various other attempts. Poison, slitting wrists, and increasingly more stupid and more futile efforts. There was nothing she could do. She was stuck.

“Oh,” she exhaled. “I get it.”

Life shouldn’t last forever. She was _exhausted_ of living already. She wanted to die. And not necessarily for Adrien anymore, just to end it. Just to not have to worry about living anymore.

She was so, so tired. And she understood, now, why death was fair. She had been the one who had been unfair since the start, defying the odds by learning to fight despite her lack of the abilities of the gods. She had claimed every step, and perhaps she didn’t deserve it, but she had claimed it.

It would be a _mercy_ to die now, though.

And then she remembered.

The very people that had put this curse upon her had left. There was no way for it to end. Her torment was _eternal,_ and there was nothing that she could do anymore. She had no magic, no supernatural means of ending herself. And there were no guarantees…

Wait.

The pool of Destruction. If the pool of Creation could make her immortal, could the pool of Destruction take it away? Or would she just become like the monsters, mindless with nothing but thoughts of destruction? There was no telling.

But she would try it anyways.

* * *

Finding the cavern took more time than she would have admitted, the staircase being more difficult to find with everything hazy and vaguely destroyed.

The spiral staircase was still the same, but descending it she felt a sense of adrenaline and excitement that she hadn’t in such a long time.

(The last time she was _ascending_ one.)

She stood over the pools, looking down at the drop.

It wasn’t that long, but the drop wasn’t important. It was what lay at the bottom.

She took a deep breath, standing at the edge, and leaned over the edge, falling.

_And do you know the tale of the girl who fought every step of the way?_

**Author's Note:**

> contact me elsewhere  
> main tumblr: alto-tenure  
> writing tumblr: beunforgotten  
> twitter: riverofliight
> 
> please leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed!


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